《Farewell》

Name: Chen Zhilei
University: University of International Business and Economics

Layla and Dephne were best friends who grew up together. People think that they would be with each other forever. Last year, both of them were admitted to the same university. Layla was extremely pleased by this.

When Layla came to the campus for the first time, she was so nervous that she decided to depend on Dephne. In her first month, Layla had trouble topping up the “all-in-one” card, finding the way to classroom buildings or even taking the exact textbook to the class. The campus too strange for her to figure everything out in a short time. However, Dephne was like an inhabitant who was familiar with every inch of the campus. She was the one who taught Layla to top up the card, led Layla to the correct place and showed up with the textbook when Layla was in need. So comfortable and contented was Layla that she was accustomed to relying on Dephne.

One day, when Layla handed in her homework at the office building and was about to leave, she found herself lost in the building. In no time she sent a message to Dephne for help. But no message was received from Dephne after a long time of waiting. In desperation, Layla managed to get out of the trouble on her own. Small though the building was, the structure was complicated enough for Layla. Moreover, there were hundreds of similar doors in the building, which made it more like a maze. As time went by, countless doors were opened except for the correct one. The wary gaze in the room that she walked in mistakenly added embarrassment to her mind. Exhausted and helpless, Layla sat in the corner, hugging herself tightly. Eyes brimming with tears, Layla felt like a failure who could not achieve anything by herself. Through tears she dimly noticed a sign in the distance. She staggered to her feet and got close to the sign slowly with slight hope. At the sight of the “EXIT”, a gush of excitement flooding into her heart. Something special began to sprout in her heart.

From then on, whatever obstacle Layla was encountered, she dealt with it on her own instead of turning to Dephne. Gradually, people could hardly see Layla and Dephne stayed together. And Layla noticed that they were not as intimate as before, too.

It was not until then that Layla was aware that Dephne was imagined. Layla went to college alone from the distant hometown. There was no family or friends who could do her some favor at the moment she was in a mess. In order to get out of the dilemma, she imagined a friend called “Dephne” to inspire her. The more problems Layla solved on her own, the more independent she became. Over time, she could live an independent campus life without relying on the imaginary “Dephne”. Eventually, she bade farewell to her “best friend” Dephne as well as her dependence on others. This was the first lesson that the college taught her.